Jujube
Jujube is one of the cutest names for a fruit in my opinion. Whenever I heard the name, I think it sounds like a nickname that one would use on an adorable baby or I think of the little chewy and ridiculously sticky gummy candies that bear the same name.
When I first saw these small brown spotted fruit at Ranch 99 labeled "jujubes" I was really surprised. I had no idea what they were and I had no idea that there was a fruit with such a name. I bought some just because of the cute name.
The little fruits taste a lot like tiny apples. I later learned more about these fruit, and realized I had them before, but never fresh. Jujubes are also called red dates and the dried form is often found in chinese herbal soups. I've had them quite a few times in soups my mom has prepared. I used to call them little apples because the dried form looks like tiny, wrinkled, dark red apples. They even have a little stem just like an apple, and have a little seed inside. Here is an image of a dried jujube.
My family never eats the fresh ones which is why I never tried one until I started doing my own grocery shopping. I enjoy them. They taste like apples, but are not as juicy as apples. They taste a bit dry, and there isn't much flesh to each one since they are small.
They usually are either all brown or are green with brown spots. I don't know too much about picking jujubes. I've found the brown ones tend to be sweeter, but they are also a bit drier (since they turn completely brown when they are dried, I think these have started their drying process). The greener ones have more moisture but are also more tart. I wanted to buy a variety for this post, but the ones available when I purchased them were brown ones. I actually bought the ones for these photos from Zion Market.
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Alzheimer — October 15, 2009 @ 3:46 am
Hello
I think I am also same like.I also had no idea about this kind of fruit.You are right that this jujube name is like a nick name.Thank you very much for sharing this information about jujube.
Kirbie — October 15, 2009 @ 9:44 am
You should look for the fruit in your local asian supermarket and try it out sometime
Carol — October 15, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
I used to eat dried jujubes as a kid and in soups and such. But I’ve never really cared for the fresh one. Like you, I find them too dry and just not worth the effort in the taste department.
Kirbie — October 16, 2009 @ 9:24 am
Whenever I see these on sale, people are hovering over the area and buying them up like crazy. They taste okay to me, but I never understood all the fuss.